If you read my column “My Bucket List, my Now List”, you already know that I got Coco after I was very sick with dengue fever. She has been with us for almost three years, and she really is the sweetest dog I’ve ever had. She is gentle and loving and doesn’t know what aggression, violence, selfishness, or jealousy is. She just wants to love and be loved.

Coco has changed my life in many ways: not only is she reason why I go out three times a day and have met all the dogs’ owners in my neighborhood and beyond, but she has also taught me to see things anew. Every single time we go out, she smells the leaves with renewed enthusiasm. She walks happily through the same streets and park as if it were the first time. I’ve learned to see things differently and appreciate more the little ants, the sticks on the ground, and the many birds here and there.

Coco is also a great companion. She sleeps next to me while I work, and from time to time reminds me that it’s time to play a little and take a break. She loves to play with plastic bottles, enjoys running around the living room table, and more than anything, she really likes to be next to us. Our life is better because we have had the chance to have her.

Here are some photos of Coco since she was a baby:

As a baby with her favorite toy:

Napping together: